


5. Collaboration

by dragdragdragon



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Artist!Barry, ColdFlash Fandom, Fic inside Fic, M/M, Smut, Tumblr messaging, Writer!Len
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-17 23:07:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5888722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragdragdragon/pseuds/dragdragdragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>WithColdOnTop (Len) requests an art commission from NerdsDoItBetter (Barry).</p>
            </blockquote>





	5. Collaboration

For the last few days, Top had been messaging him back and forth. They had been sharing these ridiculously beautiful headcanons that caused Barry to rethink all of his real life interactions with Snart.

 

Snart had always been the criminal with a code. Someone who Barry knew could be better, who could do good. Despite that, Snart’s persona, Cold, made him a caricature in Barry’s mind with his dramatic gestures and love of puns.

 

But then, Lewis Snart had returned to Central City to terrorize his children. He was ready to murder his own daughter. The very thought of him, despite his dead status, still twisted Barry’s stomach into knots of fury.

 

It made Barry re-evaluate his gigantic crush on Captain Cold, on Snart. It was then Barry knew it was more than superficial. That he actually cared about Snart.

 

The headcanons Top and Barry had been sharing…it shook something inside of him. 

 

The possibility of Len always wanting a cat or a dog, but feeling as if he didn’t have enough stability. The way Len might look if Ryder brought home an older scruffy black cat and a rambunctious poodle terrier mix from the shelter.  

 

The way Len and Ryder might lounge in bed. Len having a preference on what he wore to sleep in: soft gray sweats and an oversized worn T-shirt. Len being shy about his scars, about his bare skin. Barry hadn’t even consider Snart would have a map of them on his body. 

 

The way Len might smile at Barry - er, Ryder - with a tiny lift of the lips, but bright, shiny eyes. 

 

The headcanons had snuck under Barry’s skin and burrowed into his heart. They made Barry yearn to learn the way Snart looked when waking up; how he took his coffee; if he even liked waffles.

 

So when Top messaged him, Barry’s heart soared at the thought of more headcanons about domesticity and Len.

 

XXXXX

 

  **withcoldontop**

_ Hey, Nerd. Have a question for you. _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ Hi Top ;D! Ask away. _

  **withcoldontop**

_ Happy you’re not giving me the cold shoulder. :) Do you take commissions? _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ Cold shoulder? Me? Ha. never for you.  _

_ On a serious note, yes! I do take commissions. _

  **withcoldontop**

_ I have a fic that I’m almost done with. There’s a scene I have in mind that I would love for you to illustrate. Would you be game? _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ YES, tell me more!!!! _

  **withcoldontop**

_ This is the scene I have in mind: _

 

XXXXX

 

Barry’s mouth was open in shock; heat rising up his neck as he stared at the message. 

 

Barry’s vision swam. How did he dig himself into this hole? Why did he agree without asking for the scene first? Top was known for their fantastic pieces that somehow embedded nuanced emotions in smut. 

 

Smut that just burned into your brain, that blew your mind and drove you crazy; smut that Barry may or may not have jerked off to (and definitely not multiple times a story). Smut that made him cry sometimes at the cruelty. Len’s insecurity and worry about being good enough for the Flash broke Barry’s heart every time and always reminded him of his own fears.

 

XXXXX

 

_ Len traces Ryder’s neck with his tongue as he tugs on Ryder’s left nipple. Ryder shivers against him, almost to a state of vibration. Len steadies Ryder by gripping tightly the sharp jut of his hip. Len bites the junction between Ryder’s neck and shoulder. His gasps rile Len up, causing him to rut against the speedster. _

 

_ Len closes his eyes for a second to imagine what they must look like together. Ryder is completely naked and on display with his beautiful hard cock, angry red and leaking precum, jolting every time Len touches him. Only his face is hidden by a mask. Len’s own face is naked with affection and tenderness. Len, fully clothed in a dark blue sweater with the sleeves scrunched up to the elbows and his tattoos visible, is wrapped around Ryder from the back.  _

 

_ When Ryder tries to turn to face Len, Len buries his face into the other man’s soft hair. Len can’t let Ryder see the emotions, the desire and need on his face, can’t let Ryder see his vulnerability. It’s been getting harder and harder to protect himself from Ryder’s bright heart. Len wants to let go, but knows these trysts will end one day with his heart in pieces.  _

 

_ Len distracts Ryder by letting his hand trail down his abs in order to grab Ryder’s dick. _

 

_ “F-f-fuck,” Ryder says as his face grows flushed from exertion and want. “Please,” he begs, panting as he juts his ass against Len’s cock.  _

 

_ Len chokes out a moan.  _

 

XXXXX

 

  **withcoldontop**

_ still there? _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ is dead and never reviving. Wow. wooooow. _

  **withcoldontop**

_ Does this mean you’ll draw it? _

 

XXXXX

 

Barry started to type, “Well, I’m not-” before erasing it. 

 

He tried again, “Your writing is amazing, but I don’t know how I would do this? My work typically runs at the worst in the PG-13 range and I’m super flattered, but asdf;lkj-”

 

Ugh. Barry didn’t want to let Top down. He didn’t exactly want to say yes either. His hands were tingling, every nerve end lighting up. He took a deep breath to calm his anxiety. He needed to respond, before Top got offended.

 

XXXXX

 

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ I’m just curious. But why me? You’ve seen my work, so you know NSFW isn’t in my repertoire.  _

  **withcoldontop**

_ Your work has a whimsical quality to it and always so beautiful. You’re a master of line and color. You haven’t posted any smut, but I know you have it in you. ;) _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ keysmash. Seriously, no words. I’m blushing really hard right now. _

_ Honestly, I don’t know if I have it in me. But I can try?  _

  **withcoldontop**

_ That’s all I ask. _

 

XXXXX

 

Barry dropped his face onto his keyboard. The keys pressed against his face typed out gibberish into the messenger. He was fucked.

 

XXXXX

 

Barry jabbed the back button as soon as he could. His eyes were melting out from his face. Never ever Google ‘dick pics.’ Why did he think that was a good idea?

 

Barry felt like he would never be able to wash the slime off of his skin after that. 

 

If Barry couldn’t use the internet for help, then he’d have to figure out another way. He knew if he found the right search term, he wouldn’t be scarred for life. But the thought of making more attempts caused his face to pale.

 

Barry stared down at his fidgeting hands and the torn fabric of his jeans framing his bare knee, and it was that very moment that he came up with the worst idea ever. 

 

It was going to be swell.

 

XXXXX

 

Len stared at his screen without blinking for what felt like minutes. Nerd had outperformed all of his expectations. 

 

Len had initially sought out Nerd because the kid had chops, with the puns battle and all. After finding so much downtime after a particularly glorious battle with The Flash, Len had gravitated towards Nerd’s tumblr in particular, striking up multiple conversations with him about domestic things Cold and The Flash would do together, like how Cold would react to an actual cold.

 

‘Impossible,’ Len groused, ‘Cold never got sick.’ Nerd actually had the audacity to argue back about how ridiculous Cold would be.

 

It was good thing that their ColdFlash headcanons would never come true. Len wouldn’t be able to deal with the eventual heartbreak.

 

Len had been a great admirer of Nerd’s art since before they started messaging each other. Not just in technical skill, but the way each drawing evoked intimacy and warmth and the way their work made his heart twist at the thought of ‘Cold’ actually being happy (another impossible thing).

 

When Len was finishing up his latest story, a new drawing popped up on his feed. Nerd had drawn one of their headcanons. They had depicted Cold just waking up wearing an oversized soft baby blue shirt. Cold’s sleepy face, on the edge of waking, was Len’s face, the exact one that stared back at him in the bathroom mirror in the morning. It was unreal, but also gave Len a bright idea.

 

Len liked subtly putting people in uncomfortable positions, liked forcing them to reevaluate their world view. Even though they knew each only online, Len’s impulse towards Nerd was not any different. 

 

Not only did Len want beautiful artwork intertwined into his story, he wanted to push Nerd into doing something new. If it happened to add fuel to Len’s already active fantasies, so be it.

 

What Nerd came back with was stunning and unbelievable, but also very different from their usual work. Typically, their work contained line drawings in ink or color pencil. This time, they still employed sharp inked lines, but layered shades of rich colors using the opaqueness of watercolors. Instead of precision, the colors ran outside of the lines, sometimes dripping downwards off the bodies and other times in blotches to simulate the hazy sensual desire Cold and Flash shared, but also, the uncertainty and wonder radiating off of Cold’s posture. 

 

The sharp contours of skin and bone and the faint red flush depicted on Flash’s very naked body was contrasted by the darkness of Cold’s clothing. The dark puffs of hair sticking out from the red mask fanned delicately against Cold’s vulnerable face. The Flash’s dick nestled in curls of dark hair was proudly on display, just as Cold’s body was hidden and obscured by the dark surroundings and Flash’s radiant body. 

 

It was nothing short of perfection. It managed to grasped everything Len was trying to portray in the fic, without giving too much of himself away, despite the fact that Nerd had only read small snippets. 

 

XXXXX

 

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ so is it ok? Do you like it? _

  **withcoldontop**

_ Like it? This is the most stunning drawing I’ve seen. I adore it. _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ Wow. I’m so happy you like it! I always get nervous when people pay me for this. _

  **withcoldontop**

_ You really shouldn’t feel that way. You’re talented. _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ Can I mail you the drawing? If you want! I know it would be weird giving out an address to some random joe on the internet, but I would really like you to have it. Especially since I made it for you. _

 

XXXXX

 

Len didn’t know if he deserved to keep the drawing, but he knew exactly where to hang it, slotted neatly next to Mapplethorpe’s black and white nudes and Warhol’s polaroids. 

 

There was a reason why he kept a P.O. Box handy.

 

Len quickly typed out his mailbox address and hit send before he could change his mind.

 

XXXXX

 

  **withcoldontop**

_ Thank you. _

  **nerdsdoitbetter**

_ My pleasure. :D _

_ Just as an FYI, I probably won’t be drawing NSFW stuff again.  _

  **withcoldontop**

_ We’ll see about that. ;P _


End file.
